The Mosque of Omar is the oldest and foremost mosque in Bethlehem. It was built in 1860 and was dedicated to the memory of Caliph Omar Ibn El-Khattab, who visited Bethlehem in 637 AD at the time of the Arab Conquest, after he had issued an edict pledging safety to all Christians and clergy and respect for their shrines. The Mosque of Omar was totally renovated in 1955, during the Jordanian rule of the city.